Would you take this shot

[wildotter]

Ya this was in the Ozark Mountains so not too many mature bucks are seen. Also, my bow hand was freezing out and getting a little painful so thats when i decided to make a move. Headed to the spot now. Hope he is on camera post the day i bumped him out of bed.

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I hunt the Ozarks as well, and I completely agree that seeing something like this on-the-hoof is a rare thing! However, you definitely did the right thing not taking that shot. Good luck getting back on him again!


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[Allegheny Tom]

You sir, are a better man than I. I killed my biggest bow buck at that exact angle at 10 yards......but it wasn't pretty. Good blood trail but I had to put him down with another arrow. Not a proud moment but it happened. That being said....he hangs on the wall above my recliner at this moment wearing a santa hat. I would like to think that in the heat of the moment I wouldn't repeat that shot with a bow. I killed two nice bucks like that with a gun and neither made it out of sight.

Hanging decorations on the animal shows about the same amount of respect as the choice of shots.
Just sayin.

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[Apex7]

In one of Roger Raglin videos he show the wall it is what he calls where all his buck mounts are . He his like Allegheny Tom and would never put anything on his mounts he said it show disrespect for the animal. I agree but to each his own.

 

[EricS]

One could say that using primitive equipment during a time and place where firearms are legal would be disrespectful. “Just saying “.
I say obey the laws and don’t let an animal go to waste. If you want to take a bucks antlers and tie them in a tree for the grandkids to swing from It doesn’t bother me. I really don’t think we hand antlers on the wall out of respect for an animal. I’m not going to put a Santa hat on a mount or a cigar in its mouth but I’ll never claim that I skinned an animals head, cut it’s skull, screwed said skull plate with antlers to a foam manikin,stretched its hide around manikin and insert glass eyes out of respect.

 

[Apex7]

One could say that using primitive equipment during a time and place where firearms are legal would be disrespectful. “Just saying “.
I say obey the laws and don’t let an animal go to waste. If you want to take a bucks antlers and tie them in a tree for the grandkids to swing from It doesn’t bother me. I really n’t think we hand antlers on the wall out of respect for an animal. I’m not going to put a Santa hat on a mount or a cigar in its mouth but I’ll never claim that I skinned an animals head, cut it’s skull, screwed said skull plate with antlers to a foam manikin,stretched its hide around manikin and insert glass eyes out of respect.

I don't understand your statement about using primitive weapons when you can use modern firearms as disrespectful. If someone wants to put stuff on their deer mounts that's up to them . I hunted 21 days in a row excluding Sundays in 2006 to harvest a certain buck . We played cat and mouse for those 21 days until I finally harvest him. So I have alot of respect for this magnificent animal. But like I said to each it's own if that's what someone likes to do that's entirely up to them. Have a great holiday.

 

[EricS]

I don't understand your statement about using primitive weapons when you can use modern firearms as disrespectful. If someone wants to put stuff on their deer mounts that's up to them . I hunted 21 days in a row excluding Sundays in 2006 to harvest a certain buck . We played cat and mouse for those 21 days until I finally harvest him. So I have alot of respect for this magnificent animal. But like I said to each it's own if that's what someone likes to do that's entirely up to them. Have a great holiday.

I don’t think hunting deer with primitive weapons is disrespectful. I would hunt with an atlatl if I thought there would be a reasonable chance of success. I do have a friend who is an avid hunter that thinks bow hunting should be illegal and to use a bow during gun season is wrong because there is a legal method to kill the deer usually faster with a less chance of wounding or losing a deer. I’ve had the argument with him myself several times. He has a valid point in that I can set a self imposed 30 yard limit while hunting with a rifle if I just want to challenge myself. So why would I use the bow. To challenge myself and I enjoy it or have a heightened sense of accomplishment when successful. That’s where he would say that to choose to use a weapon that increases the chance of prolonged death is disrespectful to the animal. I can’t really argue past that.

 

[Apex7]

Archery equipment is just as deadly as a gun. I use to gun hunt years ago haven't done it in along time. I made the choice years as ago to bow hunt only. Gun or bow if you take ethical shots it doesn't matter what you use you will harvest the animal quickly.

 

[denots]

I honor my Kill by consuming its flesh, I stroked my ego by hanging its head on the wall.

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[BudgetBuck1]

Hanging decorations on the animal shows about the same amount of respect as the choice of shots.
Just sayin.

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I am sure you are morally superior to me in every way. My children like to put the santa hat on the deer in the living room around Christmas every year but I will make sure and take it down for you my ethical friend and let my wayward family know that their evil deeds won't be tolerated. Geez....talk about making a bid deal over nothing.
.....Just Sayin.

 

[BudgetBuck1]

Archery equipment is just as deadly as a gun. I use to gun hunt years ago haven't done it in along time. I made the choice years as ago to bow hunt only. Gun or bow if you take ethical shots it doesn't matter what you use you will harvest the animal quickly.

I am going to start a prolonged debate here first by saying.....ummmm....no....not as deadly....just ask the guys living on the Indian reservations how their ancestors' bows worked out against the US Army with their rifles. As I said in my earlier post. I have taken one shot like that with a bow and two with a rifle. The rifle kills were immediate and didn't go out of sight. The bow required a followup shot. I love to bowhunt but I think we need to be realistic in the fact that it isn't a gun....and it never will be no matter how many times you watch the Avengers movies. Of course I agree with you on taking ethical shots and as I said on my post I was not proud of taking that shot with a bow and don't plan on it in the future. I don't behave the same way now that I did when I was 18 years old. Now....I need to go and readjust the santa hat on my pope and young....I think it's a little crooked.

 

[huck72412]

I am sure you are morally superior to me in every way. My children like to put the santa hat on the deer in the living room around Christmas every year but I will make sure and take it down for you my ethical friend and let my wayward family know that their evil deeds won't be tolerated. Geez....talk about making a bid deal over nothing.
.....Just Sayin.

Please post a picture of your deer with a Santa hat.

 

[ImThere]

Please post a picture of your deer with a Santa hat.

Oh my god what if that deer is Amish with the Santa hat and you take a picture of it


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[Allegheny Tom]

I am sure you are morally superior to me in every way. My children like to put the santa hat on the deer in the living room around Christmas every year but I will make sure and take it down for you my ethical friend and let my wayward family know that their evil deeds won't be tolerated. Geez....talk about making a bid deal over nothing.
.....Just Sayin.

You conflate "moral superiority" with "respect". I never made any implication about your morals.
There are a lot of ways guys show less than respect to their kill. I've seen pics with cigarettes in the animal's mouth, or laying on the garage floor among empty beer cans.

Is dressing up a mount with santa clothes immoral? Certainly not. Does it show respect to the animal? That's up to each of us, I guess.
I don't do it.

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[Apex7]

I am going to start a prolonged debate here first by saying.....ummmm....no....not as deadly....just ask the guys living on the Indian reservations how their ancestors' bows worked out against the US Army with their rifles. As I said in my earlier post. I have taken one shot like that with a bow and two with a rifle. The rifle kills were immediate and didn't go out of sight. The bow required a followup shot. I love to bowhunt but I think we need to be realistic in the fact that it isn't a gun....and it never will be no matter how many times you watch the Avengers movies. Of course I agree with you on taking ethical shots and as I said on my post I was not proud of taking that shot with a bow and don't plan on it in the future. I don't behave the same way now that I did when I was 18 years old. Now....I need to go and readjust the santa hat on my pope and young....I think it's a little crooked.

Modern Archery equipment is far superior from what the Indians use. All I was talking about was an ethical shot with archery gear. A gun is a deadly weapon no doubt but you still need to be ethical on your shots. Happy holidays to everyone be safe out there and have fun what ever weapon you choose.

 

[IkemanTX]

I don’t think method of take is what determines a moral shot or not....
Understanding the limitations of each weapon, the anatomy of your prey, and exactly what limitations the distance and shot angle put on your projectile is the key.

I didn’t read all the recent posts, but I’m assuming this is still about the bedded buck in the pic from the beginning.

I still fully believe that the shot angle pictured originally was not an ethical shot with archery equipment, and I fully agree with the op’s decision to pass the shot.

Obviously there is some subjectivity when it comes to what shots each of us determines is worth taking, and which aren’t.

Let’s just let our differences lie as “we agree to disagree” instead of bickering like some of the OTHER forums do.


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[vabwhntr]

I have never harvested a deer but I have KILLED a bunch. Only things I harvest are fruits and vegetables. I have never understood why people started to say harvest instead of kill.

 

[Slingpredator06]

One of the guys I hunt with every year only hunts with a bow (which I don't disagree with). Never fails every year he lets buck fever get the best of him and he takes a bad shot and we end up tracking whatever he shot to no end. I have spent many nights crawling through terrible stuff tracking blood to not find anything probably 80 percent of the time. No matter how much heat he catches for it from the rest of us it happens every year. So seeing first hand what it puts you through and what it puts the animal through I would've passed on that shot as well. Good choice. That's responsible hunting.

 

[Apex7]

I have never harvested a deer but I have KILLED a bunch. Only things I harvest are fruits and vegetables. I have never understood why people started to say harvest instead of kill.

In Pennsylvania when we kill a deer or Turkey we have to send in or go online and fill out a harvest report card. That's what the PA Game Commission considers a kill.

 

[Apex7]

One of the guys I hunt with every year only hunts with a bow (which I don't disagree with). Never fails every year he lets buck fever get the best of him and he takes a bad shot and we end up tracking whatever he shot to no end. I have spent many nights crawling through terrible stuff tracking blood to not find anything probably 80 percent of the time. No matter how much heat he catches for it from the rest of us it happens every year. So seeing first hand what it puts you through and what it puts the animal through I would've passed on that shot as well. Good choice. That's responsible hunting.

This might help your friend it helped one of mine. Get him to shoot some 3D tournaments it's fun plus with other shooters watching him it put pressure on so it might make he a better shot under pressure. Alot of practice helps along with shooting some doe's .Antlers have a weird affect on some people.

 

[CZMark]

This might help your friend it helped one of mine. Get him to shoot some 3D tournaments it's fun plus with other shooters watching him it put pressure on so it might make he a better shot under pressure. Alot of practice helps along with shooting some doe's .Antlers have a weird affect on some people.

That is some very good advice.